1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a polishing composition and more particularly to a polishing composition comprising an aqueous emulsion containing at least one water soluble polishing agent. By rubbing the polishing composition on a painted surface and washing it off with water, a surface having a glossy protective layer results without any unsightly residue remaining on the surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
Polishing compositions are generally used to produce a glossy finish on a surface. The gloss provided by the polishing composition is the result of the mixture of components in the polishing composition. Certain components clean the surface; others smooth the surface; and other components leave a protective film coating. For instance, floor polish produces a glossy finish by depositing a film on the floor surface. Motor vehicle polishing compositions produce a glossy and protective film and may include additional additives such as polishing agents and/or abrasives which assist in the removal of weathered paint, soil and old built-up polish. Metal polishes may contain polishing agents for abrasive smoothing and cleaning of the surface being treated and additional components that function to remove and prevent tarnish.
Motor vehicle polishing compositions are specially formulated from a number of components so that the polishing composition can perform different functions when a painted vehicle surface is treated with the polishing composition. For example, a motor vehicle polishing composition may include hydrocarbon solvents in order to facilitate the removal of greasy dirt from the vehicle surface and to slow the evaporation of the water in the polishing composition. Waxes may also be included in a motor vehicle polishing composition so that the polishing composition may be buffed to a high shine that provides resistance to weathering.
Silicone materials are increasingly being incorporated into motor vehicle polishing compositions as the silicone materials can perform many functions. For instance, the silicone materials act as lubricants for easing the application of the polishing composition to the vehicle surface. Also, the silicone materials form a film on the vehicle surface that provides a water repellant, durable, uniform high gloss to the surface. These silicone based surface films have been noted as having increased resistance to removal by environmental elements such as rain, sleet and snow.
A motor vehicle polishing composition may also contain surfactants, stabilizers, thickeners, and preservatives for the production of a homogeneous stable product of desired consistency and shelf life. Surfactants and stabilizers are added to the polishing composition in order to form an emulsion of the oil-based components and the water-based components of the composition and to keep the components in emulsion form. Both oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions are used in polishing compositions. Thickeners are added to the polishing compositions in order to control the form of the composition as the polish may be supplied in solid, semisolid, presoftened or liquid form. The preservatives added to the polishing composition are generally commercially available anti-microbial agents.
Motor vehicle polishing compositions also include at least one polishing agent and/or abrasive. The polishing agents are typically particulate materials that perform numerous functions in the polishing composition. For example, the polishing agent acts as an abrasive cleaner that assists in removing weathered paint, stubborn road soil and old built-up polish. The polishing agent may also provide for mild abrasive smoothing of the painted surface. However, the polishing agent must be mild enough to avoid scratching and dulling of the painted surface. Typically, the polishing agent is suspended in the emulsion formed between the oil-based and water-based components of the polishing composition.
The polishing agents used in motor vehicle polishing compositions are not water soluble; therefore, the polishing compositions must be applied to a vehicle surface in a two-step process. First, the polishing composition is applied to the surface with a wet sponge or towel. After the polishing composition has dried on the vehicle surface, a residue remains on the polished surface. Consequently, a buffing step is required to remove the residue from the vehicle surface. While the residue is generally easy to remove from relatively flat surfaces, it is very difficult to remove the residue from cracks, crevices and other hard-to-reach places. In addition, the residue is quite noticeable and aesthetically unsightly.
In currently available polishing compositions, one of the components of the residue that remains on the vehicle surface is the polishing agent or a blend of the polishing agents, such as kaolin clay or diatomaceous earth, used individually or in combination. The residue tends to lodge in cracks, crevices and around the numerous indicia on vehicle surfaces because the residue (i.e. the clay or diatomaceous earth) is not water soluble, i.e., it cannot be washed off with water. The residue remains lodged in these areas after the buffing process is completed and even after subsequent washings. As a result, the residue is a very unpleasant sight for the consumer and must be removed manually which is a tedious chore.
As detailed above, polishing agents are generally insoluble solid particulate cleaning or polishing agents which are an important component of polishing compositions as the polishing agents provide physical surface preparation and cleaning. The ability of a polishing agent to clean and smooth out surface imperfections depends upon the chemical type, particle size, shape and hardness of the particulates comprising the polishing agent. As noted above, the most common types of polishing agents used in polishing compositions are diatomaceous earth and kaolin clays. Kaolin clays are anhydrous aluminum silicates and are extensively used in polishing compositions. One commercially available type of kaolin clay is sold under the trade name Kaopolite.RTM. 1152 and is manufactured by Kaopolite, Inc., Elizabeth, N.J. It has an average particle size of 0.8 microns. Another commercially available kaolin clay is sold in the trade as Polestar 400A and is manufactured by E.C.C. America Inc., Atlanta, Ga. Diatomaceous earth is the soft earth rock composed of the siliceous skeletons of small aquatic plants. Two examples of diatomaceous earth used in polishing compositions are Celatom MN-23, which is available from Eagle-Picher Industries, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, and Snow Floss, which is available from Johns-Manville.
Another type of polishing composition is an aqueously dispersed polishing composition used primarily by commercial car washes. These aqueously dispersed polishing compositions do not contain any of the polishing agents in current use (such as kaolin clays and diatomaceous earths) because these polishing agents are not soluble in water and therefore, cannot be dispersed from an overhead spray arch onto a vehicle without clogging the spray nozzles.
Therefore, a consumer generally has two choices in motor vehicle polishing compositions. First, the consumer may choose a conventional polishing composition that includes a polishing agent that is insoluble in water. With this choice, it will be necessary to apply the polishing composition in the laborious two-step process described above. Second, the consumer may choose an aqueously dispersed polishing compound that does not contain a polishing agent. Usually, this choice involves running the motor vehicle through a car wash. However, when a consumer chooses an aqueously dispersed polishing composition without a polishing agent, he or she may sacrifice the benefits that a polishing agent imparts to a polishing composition, such as vastly improved surface cleaning and smoothing. Therefore, it can be appreciated that conventional motor vehicle polishing compositions do not provide the consumer with an optimum combination of polishing effectiveness and ease of use.
Rinse away one step polishes that eliminate the two-step polishing process described above have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,787 discloses a multi-component polish composition that may be applied to a vehicle surface and rinsed away after the composition has dried on the vehicle. It is stated that this one step polishing system leaves a protective coating on the painted surface after the dried composition is rinsed away. However, it is believed that the protective coating formed by this one step polish composition does not provide for optimum durability, especially after the protective coating has been subjected to multiple detergent washings.
In light of the current consumer demand that polishing compositions be easy to use, highly effective in producing a clean glossy surface and durable, there is a continuing need for an effective polishing composition that eliminates the two-step polishing process described above yet still provides for maximum durability after repeated detergent washings. The improved polishing composition could be applied to a surface and then simply washed off with water. Furthermore, there is a long-felt need and inevitably a strong consumer demand for a polishing composition that may be rubbed onto a surface and washed off with water without leaving any unsightly white or light colored residue. Such a polishing composition would be faster and easier to use and would eliminate the unpleasant sight of residue deposited on the surface or in cracks or crevices between surfaces. In addition, the protective coating remaining on the surface after the residue of the composition has been rinsed off the surface would exhibit improved durability even after numerous detergent washings.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a unique polishing composition comprising an emulsion of water-based components and oil-based components that includes at least one water soluble polishing agent.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a unique polishing agent for a polishing composition, the polishing agent being selected such that the polishing composition does not require buffing after the polishing composition has been applied to the surface being treated.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a unique polishing composition including a water soluble polishing agent, the polishing composition capable of being removed with water without leaving a residue.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved car polish that does not require a subsequent buffing process and produces a durable protective coating on the vehicle which can stand up to numerous detergent washings.
And another object of the present invention is to provide an improved car polish that does not require a subsequent buffing process and whereby the car polish is applied manually and hosed off without leaving any unsightly residue.